Cambridge students in uproar over favoritism for Prince William

Cambridge University students are in an uproar over what they perceived is the school’s favored treatment of Prince William, giving him access to a course he doesn’t have to grades to attend.

The prince, 31, whose family has traditionally attended Cambridge, was admitted to a 10-week “bespoke” course on agricultural management in the university’s school of technology, according to the Daily Mail.

But students complained his “mediocre” grades at Eton are hardly the stuff of Cambridge University course standards, and he’s getting a “free pass” to the campus course, the paper reported.

The university newspaper, The Tab, pointed out that “normally students need A*AA at A-level to gain entry to Cambridge University, whilst the Prince only achieved a mediocre ABC.”

Melissa Berrill, who graduated from Cambridge this past summer, wrote in an op-ed for The Guardian that the prince’s presence would mean fewer underprivileged students would feel comfortable attending the university.

“Admitting Prince William is an insult to every student, whatever their background, who got into Cambridge by getting the required A-level or degree results,” she wrote, “It’s an insult to every student whose A-levels and degree are the same or better than his and who didn’t get a free pass to Cambridge in spite of them. And it’s an insult to everyone in the country who needs skills or training, and hasn’t had a university course personally designed for them.”

Not all agree with that assessment, however.

One student, Charlotte Ivers, said the prince’s arrival would be a “joyous coup” that would give the university a “lot of publicity,” The Daily Mail reported.

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About the Author

Cheryl Chumley is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She’s also a 2008-2009 Robert Novak journalism fellow with The Phillips Foundation. She can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.